Krishna and Radha playing Chaturanga: Scholars during the reign of Chandragupta II contributed many scientific advancements in the fields of astronomy, mathematics, and medicine. Kalidasa, considered the greatest poet and dramatist of the Sanskrit language, also belonged primarily to this period.
He wrote plays, such as Shakuntala , which is said to have inspired the famed German writer and statesman, Johann von Goethe, centuries later. Kalidasa also became renowned for his study of the shringara , or romantic, element of literature. The Indian scholar and Hindu philosopher Vatsyayana, authored the Kama Sutra , which became a standard work on human sexual behavior, while Vishnu Sharma was thought to be the author of the Panchatantra fables, one of the most widely-translated, non-religious books in history.
The cultural creativity of the Golden Age of India produced magnificent architecture, including palaces and temples, as well as sculptures and paintings of the highest quality. The walls of Buddhist shrines and monasteries were decorated with colorful frescoes, a type of wall paintings.
These showed scenes from the life of the Buddha, the ascetic and philosopher, who lived in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent sometime between 6th and 4th centuries, on whose teachings the Buddhist religion is based.
Some shrines were cut out of the cliffs, and although dark, they were also decorated with sculptures and paintings. The Dashavatara Temple: The Golden Age of India produced many temples, decorated with various sculptures and paintings, such as the Dashavatara Temple, also known as the Vishnu Temple, in central India.
Gupta Buddhist art influenced East and Southeast Asia as trade between regions increased. The Gupta Empire became an important cultural center and influenced nearby kingdoms and regions in Burma, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia. Classical forms of Indian music and dance, created under the Guptas, are still practiced all over Asia today.
He recorded all of his observations in a journal that was eventually published. During his stay in India, until c. His writings express pleasure in the mildness of the administrations in these places. After many years of dominance, the Gupta Empire collapsed in CE, due to invasions and weak leadership of successive rulers. The Gupta Empire flourished, in military and territorial conquests as well as cultural and scholastic advancements, during the reign of Emperor Chandragupta II. Yet the succeeding rulers, beginning with Kumaragupta I and then Skandagupta, oversaw the eventual end of the Gupta Empire through military defeats, devalued money and withering leadership.
The late years of his reign, however, faced difficulties. The Pushyamitras, a tribe of central India, rose up in rebellion against Kumaragupta, while Gupta territories were invaded by the Western Huna people, also known as White Huns. Kumaragupta defeated both groups and celebrated his victory by performing the royal Vedic ritual of Ashwamedha, or horse sacrifice, which had previously been performed by his grandfather, Emperor Samudragupta, to celebrate his own great military victories.
As his grandfather and father did before him, Kumaragupta also issued news coins to mark his reign. They were stamped with images of his namesake god, Lord Kumara, regarded by Hindus as Regent of Earth. He is considered the last of the great Gupta rulers prior to the collapse of the empire. The value of the coinage issued under Skandagupta becoming severely reduced. The White Huns, those who invaded the Gupta Empire during the reign of Kumaragupta, were also known as the Hephthalites, and caused great damage to the failing Gupta Empire.
Skandagupta died in CE, and was followed onto the throne by his half-brother, Purugupta, who ruled from CE. Thereafter came a succession of weak kings, beginning with Kumaragupta II from CE, followed by Budhagupta, the son of Purugupta.
The Hephthalites broke through the Gupta military defenses in the northwest in the s, during the reign of Budhagupta, and by CE much of the empire in northwest was overrun by the Huna. The empire thereafter disintegrated into numerous regional kingdoms, ruled by chieftains. Privacy Policy. Skip to main content. Early Civilizations in the Indian Subcontinent. Search for:. The Gupta Empire. Learning Objectives Explain the factors that contributed to the rise of the Gupta Empire.
Samudragupta was succeeded by his son, Chandragupta II, who continued to expand the Gupta Empire through conquest and political alliances. Key Takeaways Key Points Prosperity in the Gupta Empire initiated a period known as the Golden Age of India, marked by extensive inventions and discoveries in science, technology, engineering, art, dialectic, literature, logic, mathematics, astronomy, religion, and philosophy.
Chandragupta II promoted the synthesis of science, art, philosophy, and religion, in part because his court contained the Navartna, or the Nine Jewels, a group of nine scholars who produced advancements in many academic fields.
He recorded all of his observations in a journal that was later published. Key Terms Golden Age of India : A period at the height of the Gupta Empire, marked by extensive inventions and discoveries that contributed to Hindu culture, in subjects such as science, technology, engineering, art, dialectic, literature, logic, mathematics, astronomy, religion, and philosophy. Fa Xian : A Chinese traveler who recorded detailed observations about his experience in the Gupta Empire in his journal.
It was later published. Navartna : Also called the Nine Jewels; a group of nine scholars in the court of Chandragupta II who contributed many advancements in their academic fields. Also called the Nine Jewels; a group of nine scholars in the court of Chandragupta II who contributed many advancements in their academic fields. A Chinese traveler who recorded detailed observations about his experience in the Gupta Empire in his journal.
It was later published. His reign, from CE, promoted the synthesis of science, art, philosophy, and religion during the Golden Age of India. A period at the height of the Gupta Empire, marked by extensive inventions and discoveries that contributed to Hindu culture, in subjects such as science, technology, engineering, art, dialectic, literature, logic, mathematics, astronomy, religion, and philosophy.
The prosperity created under the leadership of the Gupta Empire, which covered much of the Indian subcontinent from approximately CE, enabled the wide pursuit of scientific and artistic endeavors. This period became known as the Golden Age of India because it was marked by extensive inventions and discoveries in science, technology, engineering, art, dialectic, literature, logic, mathematics, astronomy, religion, and philosophy.
These discoveries crystallized elements of what is generally considered Hindu culture. Although Chandragupta I and his son, Samudragupta, were prominent rulers, the reign of Chandragupta II included the greatest promotion of science, art, philosophy, and religion by the government.
These scholars included Aryabhata, who is believed to have envisioned the concept of zero, as well as working on the approximation for the long-form number Pi. Aryabhata is also believed to be the first of the Indian mathematician-astronomers who postulated the theory that the Earth moves round the Sun and is not flat, but instead is round and rotates on its own axis.
He also may have discovered that the moon and planets shine due to reflected sunlight. Varahamihira was an astronomer, astrologer, and mathematician, whose main work is a treatise on mathematical astronomy.
Sushruta, a famed Indian physician of the Gupta period, wrote the Samhita , a Sanskrit text on all of the major concepts of ayurvedic medicine, with innovative chapters on surgery.
Other scholars of the Golden Age helped create the first Indian numeral systems with a base of ten. The game of chess also likely originated during this period, where its early form, Chaturanga , contained game pieces for infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariots, each of which would evolve into the modern pawn, knight, rook, and bishop, respectively.
Krishna and Radha playing Chaturanga. Scholars during the reign of Chandragupta II contributed many scientific advancements in the fields of astronomy, mathematics, and medicine. Kalidasa, considered the greatest poet and dramatist of the Sanskrit language, also belonged primarily to this period. He wrote plays, such as Shakuntala , which is said to have inspired the famed German writer and statesman, Johann von Goethe, centuries later. Kalidasa also became renowned for his study of the shringara , or romantic, element of literature.
The Indian scholar and Hindu philosopher Vatsyayana, authored the Kama Sutra , which became a standard work on human sexual behavior, while Vishnu Sharma was thought to be the author of the Panchatantra fables, one of the most widely-translated, non-religious books in history.
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